For over thirty years we have been visiting museums, gardens, exhibitions, National Trust properties and other places of interest. Here’s a taste of what we’ve been doing in 2024:
We started the year with a visit to Milestones Living History Museum in Basingstoke, which has a fascinating collection of shops, workshops, vehicles including a fire engine (which prompted memories of Trumpton!), working machinery, a teddy bear museum, and even a pub serving alcohol, all set around cobbled streets – but with the advantage of being indoors.
We took advantage of the good weather in early summer to visit the Savill Gardens; and we walked along part of the Kennet and Avon Canal at Hungerford, enjoyed a picnic and river trip along the Thames from Windsor, and made a return visit to Chawton House and Gardens. In August we caught the final week of ‘Keep Calm and Wear it Well’ at Chertsey Museum – their exhibition of wartime clothing from the Olive Matthews Collection.
In September we visited ‘Art Stories’ Reading Museum’s latest exhibition showcasing new acquisitions including 19th century views of Reading showing the Great Western Railway and early 19th century portraits of a local businessman and his wife, as well as more recently created paintings and sculpture. The exhibition runs until 22 February : https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/art-stories
After several postponements due to bad weather we finally made it to Lacock Abbey in October to meet up with a member of our group who had moved away from the area.
2024 saw the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and Battle of Normandy and prompted the creation of an exhibition The Longest Yarn, a re-creation in knitting and crochet of the events of 6 June 1944, which was displayed in a church in Aldershot: https://www.thelongestyarn.com/home
December visits are always Christmas themed and this year we visited The Vyne to see the Alice in Wonderland inspired decorations; and enjoyed a Christmas lunch at our local garden centre
Meanwhile we have a Christmas party to look forward to!